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The entire world has changed since social media took over the internet. It has brought a sense of reality that everyone really is human. I think in the beginning even I got excited to know that I was friends with a famous football player, or at least I thought it was him. Who really knows who is running the page, maybe an agent or a media manager? Heck, it could even be a cousin or sibling. At times we would find out it was someone impersonating the pro athlete we adored so much. Ahh the days of Myspace and the addiction that came with it…

Twitter and Facebook are the big thing now. With Twitter they now verify if it really is the celebrity, which I guess is a good thing. Do you really think they have time to sit down and tweet when they are in the middle of the playoffs or after a big game? I don’t know, why not. I don’t leave home without my cell phone and thats the easiest way to update statuses these days.

What if these forms of communication existed back in the day? Do you think Emmitt Smith would tweet that he has new t-shirt designs on his website or would Herschel Walker question if he was going to get traded? The whole world would know the instant Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys or that Troy Aikman had decided to retire. Back then we had to wait for the morning newspaper. Today all you have to do is sign on to Twitter or check your rss feeds and you’re instantly in the loop.

You may have seen Tony Romo’s face on the cover of a magazine or maybe you seen rumors about him on TMZ back when he was dating celebs, but you will never see Tony Romo trying to promote himself online. I know this for a fact because last year we had a run in with an impersonator who offered an interview. Luckily we got past that without much harm.

Recently, we had the honor to do a Q & A with the great Jay Ratliff. It felt really good to get such a wonderful player on our site. Jay reached out to us because he said he wanted to speak to true Cowboys fans, wow what a compliment to Lone Star Struck. Thanks again Jay!

While some people still get STARSTRUCK whenever they get to meet a professional athlete, I think these days social media has softened the excitement. We get to see personal photos and learn what they did over the weekend. We actually get a chance to be part of their lives.

Even though I believe everything I just said honestly, I’d still scream like a school girl if I was ever in the same room as Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach. No matter where the world wide web takes us, the legends will always be untouchable.

http://lonestarstruck.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/thoughts2.png180397Kelly Irvinhttp://lonestarstruck.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/lonestarstruck.pngKelly Irvin2010-04-29 18:22:242010-04-29 18:22:24Times Have Changed But the Stars Remain the Same

Herschel Walker started his football career while playing for the University of Georgia. In his freshman year, he set an NCAA rushing record and helped his team win the national title. He earned All-American honors three consecutive years, set 10 NCAA records, 15 Southeast Conference records, 30 Georgia all-time records, and capped a sensational college career by earning the 1982 Heisman Trophy in his third and final year.

In 1983, Walker turned professional and joined the New Jersey Generals of the now defunct United States Football League. Herschel was absolutely dominating and was considered by many to be the best and most electrifying player in football. He won the leagues Most Valuable Player award and set the all-time single season pro football rushing record with 2411 yards.

In 1986, Herschel Walker joined the Dallas Cowboys, and in his first season with the team he led the NFL in rushing and scored 14 touchdowns. His best year came in 1988 when Herschel rushed for 1,514 yards. He earned Pro Bowl honors with the Cowboys in 1987 and 1988. During his years with the Cowboys he was their most talented and most popular player, but the team was not winning.

In the middle of the1989 season, the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in a deal that would change the face of the Cowboys for years to come. Besides receiving 5 players, the Cowboys also received a total of six draft picks, two of which were used to draft Emmit Smith and Darren Woodson. Jimmy Johnson used the other draft picks to make trades with other teams around the NFL which led to drafting Russell Maryland with the first overall draft pick in 1991. This trade has long been considered one of the most lopsided deals in NFL history.

After continuing his career as one of the premier running backs in the league, Herschel would later return to Dallas in 1996 and retired as a Cowboy in 1997.

Walker was one of the most productive players in the history of football and even if you discount his 3 seasons with the USFL, he still had 82 career touchdowns, 8,225 rushing yards, 4,859 receiving yards, and 5,084 kickoff-return yards. He is the only player to have 10,000+ yards gained on offense and 5,000+ yards on kickoff returns.

Although his career as Cowboy was not that long, during his years with the team he was the lone bright spot despite the fact that the team never made the play-offs. His contribution to the team in terms of trade value transformed the team into the most powerful team in the NFL for an entire decade.

Walker was one of the top running backs in the pros, gaining more yards than anyone in professional football history, counting his seasons in both the NFL and USFL. He finished his professional career with a total of 8,225 yards and 61 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 512 passes for 4,859 yards and 21 scores.

Legends of the Star is an exclusive weekly feature found only on StarStruck. Each week we will profile one of the many interesting personalities that have played for the Dallas Cowboys.